IMPD does more to help people with mental illnesses
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH ) – A Facebook post caught the attention of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
The post included praise for the department and the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team, or MCAT. The group is trained to deal with calls involving someone undergoing mental issues.
Mayor Joe Hogsett started the unit to decriminalize mental issues and instead lead people to the treatment they need.
Recently, a couple of Indianapolis Metropolitan Poilce Department officers reached out to a health professional about a woman suffering from a mental illiness. The health professional was impressed to learn that IMPD officers have been working with the woman. They not only know the woman, they’ve invited her to dinner, they have checked on her often, and they have followed up with her to see if she made her appointments.
Below is a Facebook post from Katelyn Broadus, who wanted to think IMPD for their work:
“Today, I love our IMPD even more than I already did. Today, at my healthcare job, I drove to meet my coworker who was going to assess an elderly woman in her home. The referral was called in by IMPD who were at a loss of what to do. I tagged along with my coworker for safety reasons, as this woman does not live in the best neighborhood. Two police officers ended up meeting us there, but I am glad that I stayed anyway so I could see how it all played out.
When we walked into the kitchen, it was easy to see the house hasn’t been maintained at all. The walls were falling down, alot of the floor coverings were missing, and there were bugs crawling everywhere – over the kitchen counters, across the floors, everywhere. The male officer asked the woman if she wanted us to all chat in the “fancy living room” and together we all headed through the house to what was once, I believe, probably a beautiful room. It made me so sad to think that this woman once lived a beautiful life in a beautiful home and now here she is, living alone, widowed, home falling apart, bugs crawling everywhere, being assessed for a psychiatric stay. During our conversation, we learned she calls the IMPD daily, sometimes up to 10 times a day. She made no apologies for that and the officers reassured her they did not care how many times she calls – but what they most care about is her and her health. And so, they stop by to check on her almost on a daily basis. She agreed and told us they dropped off a package at her door on Thanksgiving Day, later calling to make sure she received it and inviting her to Thanksgiving dinner. This has been going on for about 4 months and you can quickly see the loving relationship they have all built with one another. They know her family, her home, when she is supposed to go to the doctor, where she grocery shops….They don’t just respond to her calls, they are her #1 support system in her life.
Long story short, thank you IMPD for ALL you do to help the citizens and SENIORS of our community. Who knows how many seniors are living in their homes like this, but I can sleep better knowing that you care about truly keeping them safe and helping them live the best life they can.”